Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure

The Hydrogen Council estimates that mobility applications will represent ~20% of the demand for hydrogen by 2050. However, the hydrogen mobility subsector faces a chicken and egg problem in regards to fueling infrastructure. The viability of using hydrogen as fuel to power buses, trucks, trains, ships and planes depends on accessible and dependable supply. Given the absence of almost any existing hydrogen distribution infrastructure today, ensuring such supply presents challenges even beyond those of building out the charging network for Battery Electric Vehicles.

With thousands of hydrogen powered buses and trucks on the road already and pilot programs underway in the rail and maritime sectors, more governments and businesses are turning their attention to fueling infrastructure. Among a flurry of announcements in the fourth quarter of 2021 is the mobility focused partnership between industry heavy weights Air Liquide (gas) and Iveco (trucks). Other recent announcements include:

-Partnership between Hyzon Motors and TC Energy (pipelines) to develop modular hydrogen production hubs in the US co-located with fleet deployments.
-A strategic investment by Mitsui & Co. in Hiringa Refueling to fund the construction of hydrogen refueling stations for heavy duty vehicles in New Zealand.
-Finalization of Plug Power's JV with Acciona to produce green hydrogen for mobility applications in the Iberian Peninsula.

Moreover, these initiatives are supported by improving technology as hydrogen related patents have been heavily oriented towards transportation and storage in recent years.

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